Ivan Watson describes scene in South Korea after parliament votes to impeach president
CNN | Published December 14, 2024
South Korea’s parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday in an extraordinary rebuke that came about after his own ruling party turned on him following his refusal to resign over his short-lived martial law attempt.
It is the second time in less than a decade that a South Korean leader has faced impeachment proceedings in office and means Yoon is suspended from exercising his powers until the decision is finally adjudicated by the country’s Constitutional Court.
Following the vote, which sparked jubilation among protesters outside parliament, Yoon conceded that he will “stop temporarily for now, but the journey to the future that I’ve walked with the people for the past two years should not stop.”
“I will not give up,” he said in a statement shared by the country’s presidential office.
“With all the encouragement and support for me in mind, I will do my best until the last moment for the nation,” he added.
The country’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who will serve as acting president under South Korean law, told reporters that he would “devote all my strength and effort to stable operation of state affairs.”
Kang Sun-woo, a lawmaker with the Democratic Party, told CNN Saturday that the “great democracy of South Korea will survive and will be born again” after the impeachment.
The dramatic decision marks the culmination of a stunning political showdown after Yoon briefly declared martial law on December 3 and sent soldiers to parliament, where lawmakers fought past troops to enter the building and vote down the decree.
Yoon’s gamble backfired spectacularly, galvanizing many in the vibrant Asian democracy to call for his removal.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.cnn.com
RELATED: South Korea’s President Yoon impeached over martial law bid
This handout photo taken on December 12, 2024, and released by the South Korean Presidential Office shows South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol bowing while delivering an address at the Presidential Office in Seoul. (Photo by Handout / South Korean Presidential Office / AFP)
THE DAILY INQUIRER | Published December 14, 2024
SEOUL, South Korea (Updated, 5:50 p.m.) — South Korean lawmakers on Saturday impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, with the opposition declaring a “victory of the people.”
The vote caps over a week of intense political drama in the democratic South following Yoon’s failed attempt to impose martial law on December 3.
Hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Seoul in rival rallies for and against Yoon on Saturday.
In a televised address after the vote, the impeached Yoon said he would “step aside” but did not apologize for his botched bid to impose martial law.
Out of 300 lawmakers, 204 voted to impeach the president on allegations of insurrection while 85 voted against it. Three abstained, with eight votes nullified.
With the impeachment, Yoon has been suspended from office while South Korea’s Constitutional Court deliberates on the vote.
The court has 180 days to rule on Yoon’s future.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.inquirer.net
Be the first to comment